Davids Announces Funding to Support Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers in Kansas
Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced the National Institute of Standards & Technology awarded $32,200 to Kansas Manufacturing Solutions to provide services and support to local manufacturers. Kansas Manufacturing Solutions is based in Lenexa and is the only federally supported Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program center in Kansas.
This grant will allow Kansas Manufacturing Solutions to provide affordable services to the more than 2,700 manufacturers in Kansas, focusing on supply chain, global competitiveness, technology acceleration, workforce development, and process improvement.
Rep. Davids pictured with Tiffany Stovall and Dave Stein of Kansas Manufacturing Solutions.
"Manufacturing Extension Partnerships like Kansas Manufacturing Solutions are critical resources in our state, providing the tools to success for our small and medium manufacturers," said Davids. "This grant will allow Kansas Manufacturing Solutions to reach even more business owners across Kansas with technological, operational, and workforce services. I'm glad to have them here in the Third District."
"Kansas Manufacturing Solutions is pleased to continue to serve the manufacturers of this great state as the NIST MEP Center for Kansas. It allows us to provide them access to technical assistance to help them remain competitive and grow," said Tiffany Stovall, Chief Executive Officer of Kansas Manufacturing Solutions. "KMS are specialists in manufacturing and can provide solutions in areas like workforce, automation, lean and continuous improvement, cyber security, and business optimization systems like strategic planning, digitization and leadership coaching."
Background:
The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). There are 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. It has over 1,400 trusted advisors and experts at more than 385 MEP service locations, providing any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed. Manufacturers who have utilized MEP Centers, such as Kansas Manufacturing Solutions, have on average experienced a return on investment of 14:1.
Kansas Manufacturing Solutions, formerly MAMTC, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and one of the first seven Manufacturing Technology Centers in the United States. This $32,200 grant will allow them to continue providing manufacturing extension services to primarily small and medium-sized manufacturers in Kansas. That includes services related to supply chain, manufacturing career awareness, technology acceleration and automation, process improvement, business and leadership development.